Dubai: Several Dubai neighbourhoods will be ringed by the Dubai Canal project which is in the final stages of construction and is expected to finish in the next couple of months.

Once the canal is ready, Bur Dubai, Zabeel, Al Karama, Oud Metha and Al Satwa will be part of an island ringed by the Dubai Creek, Business Bay, Dubai Canal and the Arabian Gulf flowing into each other.

A view of Business Bay from the point where it connects to the Dubai Creek. The creek has been extended to the intersection of Al Khail Road and Financial Centre Street, where Business Bay begins. Photo: Ahmed Ramzan/ Gulf News

Dubai Creek, which begins at Al Shindagha in Bur Dubai, originally spanned 14 kilometres, culminating at Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary. However, the Creek has now been extended all the way to the intersection of Al Khail Road and Financial Centre Street, where Business Bay begins. The combined waterway will stretch for 27 kilometres. Parts of Jumeirah and Al Safa areas, Business Bay, Downtown Dubai, Al Jaddaf and Oud Metha will also be part of the massive island.
Excavation work is currently under way beneath the elevated intersection of Al Khail Road and Financial Centre Street, where the fabled Creek links the modern waterways of Business Bay and Dubai Canal.
Water in the Business Bay has also been sucked out as part of project, and the Creek water is expected to flow in once the project is ready.

The Dh2 billion project is being carried out in five phases.

Phases one to three were carried out simultaneously, beginning in October 2013, which included building a 16-lane flyover on Shaikh Zayed Road along with the construction of two smaller flyovers and a multi-tier intersection on Al Wasl and Jumeirah Roads. The flyovers that rise eight metres high and stretch up to 800 metres allow the canal to flow underneath.
All the three flyovers opened in stages earlier this year.

An impression of the 16-lane flyover on Shaikh Zayed Road, which will rise up to eight metres and include a waterfall. Two smaller flyovers and a multi-tier intersection have also been built on Al Wasl and Jumeirah roads. Photo: Pankaj Sharma/Gulf News

Phase three also includes drilling and excavation work, which is now in the final stages. As part of phase three, pedestrian bridges are being built, including one bridge lined with kiosks and stalls on either side. According to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), 3.2 million cubic metres of soil were dredged for the canal and 300 tonnes of concrete blocks are being used.

Stretching for 3.2 kilometres from Business Bay to the Arabian Gulf, the canal’s width ranges from 80 to 120 metres and will be up to 6 metres deep. The canal will add six kilometres to Dubai’s waterfront.
Currently, work on phases four and five are being carried out simultaneously.

Phase 4 will see completion of infrastructural works required to serve property development on both sides of the canal, including road works and utility lines.

Work in Phase 5 includes building quay walls of precast concrete slabs all along the stretch of the canal and diverting utility lines and key services to give way for completing the construction work of the canal. The fifth phase also includes the treatment of hyper-saline water of the Business Bay Lakes, removing sand barriers in the course of the canal. Both the phases are set for completion by next month.

A view of Business Bay from the point where it connects Dubai Creek. Photo: Ahmed Ramzan/ Gulf News

Work is also under way to build an artificial crescent-shaped island along Jumeirah Park, which will double the length of Jumeirah Park Beach, increase the park area and allow space for more recreational activities.

The canal development work also includes filling an island to the seaside, building a marine barrier around the island for the sake of developing a beach, constructing marinas for yachts and other marine transport means.
The RTA recently announced construction of 12 marine stations, five of which will be on Dubai Canal, while the rest of the stations are to be built at the Business Bay canal by 2018.

Following the completion of the entire project, the Dubai Creek along with the stretch of canals will have 18 marine stations, which will allow people to travel freely along the waterway from Deira and Bur Dubai to Jumeirah.
In the next couple of years, marine transit modes are expected to lift more than six million passengers annually around the canal and man-made islands off the coast.

Work in the final phase includes building quay walls of precast concrete slabs all along the stretch of the canal and diverting utility lines and key services. It also includes the treatment of hyper-saline water of the Business Bay Lakes, removing sand barriers in the course of the canal.Work is set for completion by next month. Photo: Arshad Ali/ Gulf News

Leisure hub

One of the most ambitious projects in the emirate, once ready the area surrounding the canal will be transformed into a shopping and leisure hub, that will include a 50,000 square metre shopping mall, six kilometres of beaches and a sprawling 80,000 square metre waterfront walkway and leisure area.

To begin shortly after completion of the canal, the development will have four world-class hotels, including a crescent-shaped building and as many as 450 restaurants.

According to the developers, Al Safa Park, which serves as the epicentre of the project, will house the mall along with separate tracks for jogging and cycling as well as the beaches.

The 3km long waterway is expected to further boost tourism in Dubai with an estimated footfall of 22 million visitors.

The canal will house various shopping, leisure, residential and commercial centres on both sides.

Milestones

• October 2013: Dubai Canal work is launched

• May 2014: RTA begins digging of the canal

• May 2014: Work on Al Wasl road and Jumeirah road flyovers begins

• November 2014: Work on the Shaikh Zayed Road flyover starts

• January 2015: Al Safa Park area is reduced to make way for the canal.

• January 2016: The first part of the 16-lane flyover opens for Sharjah-bound traffic.

• July 2016: The second part of the 16-lane flyover opens for Abu Dhabi-bound traffic

• Phase four and five are set for completion in October 2016.

Phases

Phase One

Cost: Dh580 million

Start: October 2013

End: July 2016

Project: Work on phase one of the Dubai Canal project involved tracking and diverting utility lines of water, electricity, sewage and telecom, followed by construction of a 16-lane bridge on Shaikh Zayed Road. The flyover opened in two phases in January and July this year.

Phase Two

Cost: Dh384 million

Start: April 2014

End: July 2016

Project: Work involved construction of two flyovers on Al Wasl and Jumeirah roads, in addition to related road works. The Al Wasl flyover opened for traffic in June this year, while the Jumeirah Road flyover opened in July

Phase Three

Cost: Dh802 million

Start: June 2014

End: October 2016

Project: This phase comprises digging of the canal linking it with Business Bay and Dubai Creek on one side and with the Arabian Gulf on the other side. The excavation work is at the final stages now.

Phase Four

Cost: Dh307 million

Start: June 2016

End: October 2016

Project: This phase will see completion of infrastructural work required to serve property development on both sides of the canal, including roads works and utility lines.

Phase Five

Cost: Dh396 million

Start: June 2016

End: October 2016

Project: Work includes building quay walls of precast concrete slabs all along the stretch of the canal as well as treatment of hyper-saline water of the Business Bay Lakes, removing sand barriers in the course of the canal, and constructing three marine transport stations.